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Wednesday

Nik Antropov, the hulking (6' 6", 240 lb.) center out of Russia, was taken by the Maple Leafs with the 10th overall pick in the NHL draft of 1998. Antropov began his NHL career at age 19 during the 1999-00 season, when he would score 30 points in 66 games.

Antropov's point production would take a bit of a roller coaster ride before levelling out during the 2007-08 season, his final with the Maple Leafs, when he would score 56 points in 72 games.

Antropov would split the following season with Toronto and the New York Rangers, scoring 59 points (28 goals) in 81 games. He would then sign as a free agent with the Atlanta Thrashers in 2009. He had a fine 2009-10 NHL season with Atlanta, netting 24 goals while assisting on 43 more red-lights.

Did you know...................Antropov changed his jersey number from 11 to 80 to benefit Owen Nolan who had just joined his team?

Tuesday

Alexei Yashin, the center out of the Soviet Union, was drafted by the Ottawa Senators with the second overall pick in the 1992 NHL draft. When Yashin was given a chance to play full-time during the 1993-94 NHL season, he made an immediate impact, scoring 79 points in his rookie season.

Yashin would continue to be an offensive force for the Senators over the years, with his high-water mark in scoring coming during the 1998-99 NHL season. He would score 94 points in that campaign (44 goals and 50 assists).

After seven stellar years in Ottawa, Yashin was sent to Long Island, NY to play with the Islanders in 2001. Yashin was a key offensive contributor for the Isles, albeit not to the level that he produced in Ottawa. His effort was strong enough to lead the Isles to the playoffs in his first year with the team, where he would score 7 points in 7 games.

Yashin would spend five seasons with the Islanders, contributing a good portion of their scoring over that time span. For his NHL career through 2006-07, Yashin totalled 781 regular season points (337 goals and 444 assists).

Did you know.......................Yashin was a captain for both the Senators and the Islanders?

Monday

Marc Pouliot, the right-shooting center, was taken 22nd overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2003 NHL draft. Pouliot, hailing from Quebec, would see his first NHL ice time during the 2005-06 regular season, albeit briefly, playing in 8 games.

He would get a chance to play on a more consistent basis the following season when he got over the boards for 46 regular season games, scoring 11 points.

Over the next few NHL seasons, Pouliot's ice-time would ride a wave with the Oilers. In five total NHL seasons spent in Edmonton, Pouliot garnered 53 points in 176 games, with an 8% shooting percentage.

Did you know.............Pouliot spent time with the Hamilton Bulldogs, Wilkes-Barre Penguins and Springfield Falcons in the AHL?

Sunday

NHL jersey number 77........a popular and decorated number worn by some of the best in the game of hockey, including Paul Coffey, Phil Esposito, Adam Oates, Cliff Ronning, and Pierre Turgeon. Of the NHL stars who have worn the number however, Bourque gets the nod as the best.

Ray Bourque was selected 8th overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1979 NHL draft. Bourque immediately made an impact for the Bruins as an offensively skilled defenseman, racking up 65 points with a plus 52 rating in his rookie regular season. He would continue producing for the Boston fans, wearing jersey number 7, into 1987. Towards the end of that year, the Bruins would retire jersey number 7 in honor of Phil Esposito, and Bourque would give up that jersey number to wear jersey number 77, which he wore through the remainder of his NHL career, spent with the Bruins and the Colorado Avalanche, where he would reach his goal of winning a Stanley Cup Championship.

Some of Bourque's NHL accomplishments:

1979 Calder Memorial Trophy winner

5-time James Norris Trophy winner

1,579 career NHL points

1,169 career NHL assists

60 career game-winning goals

Plus 528 career on-ice rating

.73 career NHL assists per-game

2001 Stanley Cup Champion

180 career playoff points

2004 Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee

Did you know.................jersey number 77 has been retired in Bourque's honor by both the Bruins and Avalanche?

Saturday

Evgeny Artyukhin, the big right winger out of Moscow, was taken in the third round of the 2001 NHL draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. He would see his first NHL ice time, wearing jersey number 76 for the Lightning, during the 2005-06 season. That first season of his, he successfully notched 17 points in 72 games.

After rejecting his initial contract offer from Tampa Bay, Artyukhin would not see the NHL ice again until the 2008-09 season. That campaign, after signing with the Lightning once more, he would nearly reach his rookie season point total, notching 16 points, while upping his goal total to 6.

In 2009, he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks, where he would score 9 points in 37 regular season games. He was traded to Atlanta in 2010, and he would finish out the season with the Thrashers, scoring 7 points in 17 games.

Did you know..........Artyukhin won a gold medal playing for Russia in the 2003 World Junior Championships?

Friday

Walt Poddubny, the journeyman left-winger out of famous Thunder Bay, Ontario, was drafted in the 5th round of the 1980 NHL draft by the Edmonton Oilers. Poddubny would spend only a brief amount of time with the Oilers, as he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs during his rookie campaign in the 1982 season.

Poddubny's first full season in Toronto was a strong one. He earned 59 points in 72 regular season games while wearing the blue and white sweater during the 1982-83 NHL season. The next three seasons however, Poddubny appeared in only half of each season's games.

He would soon see an offensive resurgence though. After being traded to the New York Rangers in 1986, Poddubny would have his finest offensive season, scoring more points (87), than regular-season games played (75). He would set a career single-season high in goals in 1986-87, his first in New York, with 40. His second season as a Ranger was just as strong, as he marked 88 regular-season points in 77 games.

Poddubny was subsequently traded to the Quebec Nordiques, where he would play and wear the sweater number 75 during the 1988-89 NHL season. He would again score more points (75) than regular season games played (72).

Poddubny's NHL career was rounded out with parts of three seasons spent with the New Jersey Devils.
For his NHL regular-season career, spanning 11 seasons, Poddubny notched 422 points in 468 games.

Did you know......................Walt Poddubny was the head coach of the Anchorage Aces in the WCHL?

Thursday

T.J. Oshie, the center hailing from the great western state of Washington, was drafted 24th overall by St. Louis in the 2005 NHL draft.

Oshie wouldn't see his first NHL ice time until the 2008-09 regular season, and it wouldn't be a full one for him. But he certainly made the most of the time he spent on the ice. He notched a 13.9% shooting percentage in his rookie season for the Blues, netting 14 goals in 57 games, matched with 25 assists. He also managed to achieve a plus 16 rating, one short-handed goal and one game-winner.

His second, and first full, NHL season was also impressive offensively. 48 points in 76 regular season games is nothing to sneeze at. He proved once again, adept at setting up his teammates, with 30 regular season assists.
Did you know...............Oshie played his college hockey at the University of North Dakota?

Wednesday

Michael Ryder, a right-shooting right winger, hailing from Newfoundland and Labrador, has made a name for himself in the NHL, wearing number 73 with the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins. Ryder was taken in the 8th round of the 1998 NHL draft by the Montreal Canadiens.

It took some time, between being drafted and Ryder's first NHL appearance during the 2003-04 season, but it was worth the wait. Ryder quickly made himself known as an offensive presence, racking up 25 goals and 38 assists in his rookie effort.

The lockout season interrupted Ryder's momentum, but not drastically. During 2005-06, he would accumulate 55 points, while upping his regular season goal tally to 30. Oddly enough, Ryder matched his 2005-06 regular season goal total during the 2006-07 regular season. He netted 58 points in his third full regular season.

After the 2007-08, the Canadiens neglected to sign Ryder, and the Boston Bruins quickly snatched him up. Ryder would have his highest regular-season shooting percentage in that first year with the Bruins, setting a 14.6% mark. He has accumulated 88 total regular season points in his first two seasons with the Bruins.

Did you know.........Ryder played hockey in Sweeden during the lockout season?

Tuesday

Mathieu Schneider, the left-shooting defenseman hailing from New York, was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the third round of the 1987 NHL draft. Schneider would see some playing time during the 1987-88 NHL season, but would be sent back down, before reappearing with the Canadiens during the 1989-90 season, and solidifying himself as an NHL star.

Schneider would play with Montreal into the 1994-95 season, wearing jersey number 72 for part of his time with the Habs, when he was traded to the Islanders in a blockbuster along with Kirk Muller and Craig Darby, for Pierre Turgeon and Vladimir Malakhov. Schneider would wear jersey number 72 New York briefly, before being traded to Toronto in 1996.

While playing with the Maple Leafs for two full seasons in 1997-98 and 1998-99, Schneider garnered 37 and 34 points respectively.

In 21 NHL seasons, through the 2009-10 season, Schneider has accumulated 743 points, of which 520 were assists.

Did you know..................Schneider was a member of Team USA when it won the World Cup in 1996?

Monday

Evgeni Malkin, the big left-shooting center, was drafted second overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2004 NHL draft. Malkin, wearing jersey number 71, made an immediate impact in the NHL and quickly became a young superstar for the Penguins.

Entering the league at age 20, during the 2006-07 season, Malkin would put up 85 points in 78 regular season games (33 goals and 52 assists). Not bad for a rookie. Good enough actually, for number 71 to win the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2007.

Malkin's sophomore season in the NHL was even more impressive, as he racked up 106 pints in 82 regular season games. Evgeni was a leader on the Penguins in the playoffs that season as well, helping Pittsburgh reach the Stanley Cup, while scoring 22 points in 20 playoff games.

2008-09 was Malkin's strongest season offensively to-date. Malkin led the NHL in both points, with 113, and assists, with 78 in the regular season. As impressive as his regular season was, his playoff performance in 2008-09 may have been even more impressive. Malkin was an offensive force for the Penguins, on their way to the Stanley Cup Championship, putting up 36 points in 24 post-season games. His performance was good enough to get him awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy.

In four seasons with the Penguins, Malkin has accumulated 381 points in 309 regular season games, matched with 73 points in 62 playoff games.

Did you know........Malkin scored his first NHL goal against Martin Brodeur?

Sunday

Oleg Tverdovsky, the left-shooting defenseman out of the Soviet Union, wore number 70 for one season while with the Carolina Hurricanes, but this did qualify him as the best NHL athlete to have ever worn the number.

Tverdovsky played 11 seasons in the NHL spread across six different teams, in seven different stints. Over those 11 seasons, he proved himself adept at setting his teammates up for the goal, racking up 240 assists.

During his time with the Hurricanes, Tverdovsky would score 32 points in 73 regular season games, 26 of those points being assists.

Did you know..........Tverdovsky was drafted 2nd overall in the 1994 NHL draft?

Mel Angelstad, out of Saskatchewan, played very briefly in the NHL, for two regular season games in fact. But he did play, for the Washington Capitals, and he is the only NHL player I know of that wore jersey number 69 during an NHL game. There you have it. If you're interested, Angelstad was a tough player and got in his share of scraps in minor league hockey, which you can read about on hockeyfights.com.

Saturday

Just like Lemieux, what else can I tell you that you don't already know about NHL superstar Jaromir Jagr? He is also the best professional athlete to ever wear the jersey number 68. So, just like the post on Lemieux, let me share with you the 10 best Jagr moments.

Michael Frolik, the left-shooting center out of Czechoslovakia, was drafted by the Florida Panthers with the 10th overall pick in the 2006 NHL draft. Frolik wasted no time establishing his offensive presence in the NHL. Breaking into the league during the 2008-09 season at age 20, Frolik would be on ice for almost all of the Panthers' regular season games, 79 in total. During those games, Frolik notched 45 points with a balanced 21 goals and 24 assists.

Frolik's second season was also a formidable and balanced one. He put 21 pucks in the net and assisted on 22 goals in 2009-10.

Did you know......................Frolik wore jersey number 68 in the Panther's rookie camp, and is often associated with Jaromir Jagr, known for wearing number 68?

Friday

What can I tell you that you don't already know about one of the greatest hockey players of all-time? You know that he's also the pick for the best overall professional athlete to ever wear the number 66. So, why don't I just share with you a top 10 highlight reel of some of Lemieux's best NHL moves.

Thursday

Mark Napier, a left-shooting right winger out of Toronto, was drafted 10th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1977 NHL draft out of the WHA where he played for the Birmingham Bulls.

Napier wore sweater number 31 when he broke into the NHL with Montreal. He would in 54 regular season games that first campaign with the Canadiens in 1977-78. Mark would notch 31 points (20 of them assists) with a plus 17 rating.

He would continue to produce for the Canadiens into the 1983-84 NHL season, when he was traded to the Minnesota North Stars. While with the North Stars, Napier would wear sweater number 16, playing a total of 97 regular season games spread over two NHL seasons before he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers.

In Edmonton, Napier would first wear number 18 before switching to the number he is being noted for here, number 65. While with Edmonton, Napier would play in 175 regular season games, notching 71 assists.

He would then be traded to Buffalo, where he would continue to wear sweater number 65, scoring 56 points in his two and a half seasons with the Sabres.

Over his 11 NHL seasons, Napier would score 541 points in 767 regular season games. He was a member of the 1984-85 Oilers Stanley Cup Championship team, which stopped the New York Islanders dynasty, as well as the Canadiens Championship team of 1978-79.

Did you know...........that Napier ranked 66th all-time in career NHL shooting percentage, with a 16.8% mark, as of this writing?

Wednesday

Jamie McGinn, the left-shooting left winger out of Ontario, was drafted 36th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2006 NHL draft.

McGinn saw his first ice-time in the NHL during the 2008-09 season, at age 20, when he would score 6 points in 35 regular season games. The following regular season saw McGinn increase his games played to 59 and his points to 13 (10 of which were goals).

Did you know...............that Jamie McGinn has three game-winning goals in his first two NHL seasons?